Calgary fire crews respond to downtown high-rise fire December 02

At approximately 11:50 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 2, Calgary fire crews were dispatched to a 26 story high-rise building on 8 Avenue S.W. after reports of a fire on the 23rd floor.

On arrival, firefighters found the building’s fire alarm system activated, with some residents already evacuating. Others, including those with mobility concerns, sheltered safely in place.

Firefighters quickly located and extinguished the fire, then searched the affected unit and neighbouring suites for any potential patients. One resident was assessed by EMS however was not transported to hospital. Crews also ventilated smoke that had migrated to several lower and upper floors. Air quality was assessed prior to allowing residents back into their suites.

A Calgary Fire Department investigator is on scene to determine the fire’s exact origin and cause. Initial reports indicate the fire started in the kitchen of the apartment suite. The suite sustained significant damage and will require extensive repairs before it can be reoccupied.

Kitchen fires are the most common type of fire Calgary crews respond to daily. To reduce the risk of a cooking fire and staying safe in a high-rise building, consider the following tips:

Stovetop safety tips

Never leave cooking unattended, stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, broiling or boiling food.
If you must leave the kitchen, turn off the stove and remove the pot from the burner.
Make sure to use dry oven mitts and potholders to prevent scalding or burns.
Use the stove’s back burners whenever possible and turn pot handles inward to reduce the risk of pots being knocked over.
Keep potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, and other items that can burn away from your stovetop.
Clean food and grease from the oven and stovetop once it has cooled.
Always keep an oven mitt and lid nearby when cooking. If a small grease fire starts in a pan, smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan.

Oven safety tips

If there is an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed to prevent flames from burning you and your clothing.
Remember not to store combustible or flammable items in the bottom drawer of the oven.

If a fire breaks out

Large numbers of people may evacuate at the same time in case of an emergency, some of them from upper floors.

If you discover a fire, sound the alarm and call the fire department.
If you can hear instructions over your building's public address system, listen carefully and do as you are told. You might be told to stay where you are.
Leave the fire area quickly, closing all doors behind you to slow the spread of fire and smoke.
Follow your building's evacuation plan unless doing so puts you in immediate danger. If you encounter smoke or flames, use an alternative escape route. Some evacuation plans may require you to go to a "safe area" inside the building and wait for the fire department to supervise evacuation.
Test doors before you open them. While kneeling or crouching, reach up as high as you can and touch the door, the knob and the space between the door and its frame with the back of your hand. If the door is hot, use an alternative escape route.
If the door feels cool, open it carefully and be ready to slam it shut if smoke or heat rush in.
Never use an elevator during a fire. It may stop at a floor where the fire is burning or malfunction and trap you. Go directly to a stairwell that is free of smoke and flames.
Once you are out, stay out, and stay out of the way of firefighters. Tell the fire department if you know of anyone trapped in the building. Do not go back inside for any reason, until the firefighters tell you it is safe to do so.

If you can't safely evacuate

Stay as calm as possible.
Never try to fight a fire, even a small one, until the alarm system has been activated, evacuation has begun, and the fire department has been called.
When using an extinguisher, always have a clear escape route at your back. If the fire doesn't die down immediately or starts to spread, leave at once.
If possible, go to a room with an outside window and a telephone.
Close the door between you and the fire. Stuff the cracks around the door with towels, rags, or bedding and cover vents to keep the smoke out of the room.
If there is a phone in the room where you are trapped, call the fire department and tell them exactly where you are. Do this even if you can see fire trucks on the street below.
Wait at the window and signal for help with a flashlight, if you have one, or by waving a sheet or other light-colored cloth.
If possible, open the window at the top and bottom, but do not break the window.
Be ready to close the window quickly if smoke rushes in.
Be patient. Rescuing all the occupants of a high-rise building can take time.

Fire exits

Never lock fire exits or block doorways, halls, or stairways. Fire doors not only provide a way out during a fire, they also slow the spread of fire and smoke. Never prop fire doors open.

Be prepared

You are far more likely to do the right thing in a real fire if you are prepared for an emergency.

Learn your building's evacuation plans. Make sure everyone in your household knows where to go if the fire alarm sounds and practice your escape plan together.
Read and learn evacuation plans in high traffic common areas, such as lobbies.
Learn the sound of your building's fire alarm.
Know at least two escape routes (including windows) from every room in your apartment or condominium.
In the event of a fire, you may have to escape in the dark by feeling your way along the wall. Be prepared. Count the number of doors between your living unit and the two nearest building exits.
Know where to find your building's fire alarms and learn how to use them.
Post emergency fire department numbers near all telephones.

Fore more fire prevention and fire safety information, please visit calgary.ca/fire

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